1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a bag support for a paper or plastic trash bag such as are commonly used to gather lawn and garden waste for disposal.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Each autumn, homeowners across the United States rake up fallen leaves from their lawns. In the past, the smell of burning leaves, as much as the opening of schools and football games, heralded the beginning of fall. Many communities, however, have banned leaf burning because of air pollution, health problems and fire hazards.
People now rely on waste pick-up services for disposal of leaves and other yard wastes. Large plastic bags have been developed for this purpose. Because of scarce landfill space and other environmental concerns, however, many state and local governments have outlawed plastic bags, even those made of a biodegradable plastic, and require that leaves and other yard trimmings be loose or in paper bags that are readily degraded.
Neither plastic bags or paper bags are easy for the homeowner to use. Sometimes, it is more convenient to lay the bag on the ground and sweep the debris into the bag, other times, it is more convenient for the bag to be upright and lift the leaves into the bag. Either way, it is difficult for a person to hold the mouth of the bag open while filling it with lawn and yard waste. In addition, if the user attempts to tamp the waste down in the bag to reduce the volume (and save on bags), the bag may rupture, whether it is made of plastic or paper.
There have been funnel and scoop shaped devices proposed for holding the mouth of a big trash bag open. In some of them, when the yard waste is packed down, the waste sticks to the sidewalls of the device and comes out of the bag with the funnel or scoop. Some devices support the bag open, as well as upright for top filling, others support the bag on its side for sweep filling, but few can be used to support the bag either way. Another (or an additional) problem with many of the prior art devices is that they do not collapse down for shipment or storage, which is a real shortcoming for a piece of equipment having limited or only seasonal use. Some devices are designed exclusively for use with plastic bags, others are for use with paper bags, while few are suitable for both.